The Issue of Trust
by T-c3
Summary: Gordon confronts Ramirez about what happened with Harvey Dent, and he begins to realize just how alone he really is.


Disclaimer: Nope, nope. Don't own it.

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Gordon was desperate to see his family. As Commissioner, he couldn't neglect the situation at hand, which was chasing the vigilante known as Batman. There was confusion and relentless searching for several hours before things calmed down enough for him to return home. His wife had been briefly interrogated, and he made sure that he told her in advance to hide the truth, to go along with Batman's façade. He was so frazzled that nearly all of his officers, including the mayor, had told him to go home to his family. Nothing more could be done at the moment anyway.

The second he walked through the front door, Barbara ran up to him and began sobbing. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, whispering soothing words into her ear. When his two children walked up, he gathered them into a group hug, so incredibly thankful that they were safe.

Barbara eventually calmed down and pulled away, wiping at her eyes. "They believed everything I told them," she said quietly.

There was no reason for them not to. None of them ever trusted Batman to begin with. They had already considered him a criminal, and now they had "proof."

"Alright, Barbara. Don't worry about any of that now." He rested a hand on her cheek. "I'm just glad you're all safe."

"Have . . . have you talked to Anna yet?"

He furrowed his brow. "No, why?"

Barbara told the children to go to bed. After they said their goodnights, she led Gordon to the kitchen and sat at the table slowly, eyes downcast. "She was the one who told me I should leave the house, that the men watching over us couldn't be trusted."

His eyes widened. There was no reason for Ramirez to say something like that. What made her—? Then the realization hit him. "Dent," Gordon whispered, looking off to the side.

"What?"

"No, it's nothing. You should go to bed. It's late."

She hesitated before asking, "Aren't you coming?"

"In a minute."

He would have to have long talk with Ramirez.

Anna sat at her desk, motionless, only staring at the paperwork in front of her. It was all related to the Joker and the Batman. She knew that without even going through it. But all she could do was stare. Something regarding Harvey Dent was bound to pop up in one of those files, and the thought made her stomach turn. She already had a guilty conscience over what happened to Rachel Dawes, and now she felt like she was partly responsible for Dent's death. Officers weren't supposed to kill good people, yet she had their blood on her hands.

"Detective."

She jumped. Swiveling around, she was met with the last person she wanted to see. "Commissioner." She turned back to her desk and began shuffling papers. "I was just, uh . . . "

"I need to talk to you. Would you mind?"

There was a tightness in his voice. Anna knew what it was about, and she inwardly cringed at the thought of what his reaction would be.

"No," she replied in a strained voice.

Gordon walked away without uttering another word. Taking a deep breath, she got to her feet and followed him down the hall. To her horror, she realized he was taking her to one of the interrogation rooms. Was he officially charging her as an accessory to murder? Anna wouldn't complain; she knew she deserved it. Still, it made her incredibly anxious.

He opened the door for her, and he shut it behind him after she took a seat. He didn't speak for another few minutes, making her even more on edge.

"I need you to tell me exactly what happened yesterday," Gordon said firmly.

Anna swallowed hard, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "Dent . . . found out that I was the one who took Rachel," she said slowly. But trying to keep calm was harder than she thought, and the rest of her words came rushing out in a mess of syllables. "The mob got me early with my mother's hospital bills. I felt like I didn't have a choice, and I didn't know they were going to do that to her. Dent forced me to call Barbara at gunpoint and told me what to say. He would have killed me. I could see it in his eyes. He had completely lost it!"

"Detective!" He had raised his voice, but he wasn't angry. It seemed like he only wanted her to calm down. "It's alright. I understand. I just wanted to know. Is that how you got that bruise?" Gordon asked, pointing to the side of his own head.

"Yeah," she responded, not able to look him in the eye. She felt so ashamed of herself. "I don't . . . I don't know why he didn't kill me. After all, _he_ was the one who killed the others, wasn't he? It wasn't the Batman, right?"

He sighed. "Yes, but please keep that to yourself. There's a reason he's taking the blame." Gordon took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He clearly didn't get enough sleep the previous night. "Did Dent flip a coin?"

"What? Oh, yeah."

"Then you were just lucky." He put his glasses back on, a stern expression on his face. "Detective, I _do_ understand your actions, but _you_ have to understand that I can't let you stay on the force. It has nothing to do with any person grudge. I just can't take the chance that something like this will happen again. I need to be able to trust my own people."

So she was being fired. Anna felt she deserved worse than that, but it was _something_ to help ease her guilty conscience. She nodded and got up from the metal chair. Biting her bottom lip, she stared at Gordon, whose gaze was directed at the table. She had to get it off her chest.

"I'm so sorry, Gordon. If I had known . . . I'd rather have been killed than cooperate with them. Then Rachel would still be alive, and maybe Dent wouldn't have lost it. I really am sorry."

Gordon looked up at her, something akin to sympathy in his eyes. "I know," he said softly.

And that was all he said.

After Ramirez walked out, Gordon sighed again, running a hand through his hair. He didn't want to fire her, but he felt he had no choice. The Joker was right about one thing. It _did_ make him feel alone, not knowing who he could trust. In the world of fighting crime, the only person he knew he could trust was Batman, but now he was a "murder suspect."

Knowing he had to get back to his job, despite wanting to lie down to get some rest, Gordon left the interrogation room and headed towards his office. On the way there, Stephens caught up with him.

"Hey, Gordon. The mayor wants you to get rid of the floodlight."

He did his best not to show any reaction. It was going to be difficult to keep it to himself. He wanted to scream at them what really happened, but it was for the good of Gotham that he remained silent.

"Alright," Gordon responded in an even tone.

"Oh, and," Stephens moved closer, "why is Ramirez packing up her things?"

He knew it was going to be hard to get out of this one without giving details, so he gave the easiest explanation "I fired her," he stated frankly. "She was the one who transported Rachel Dawes."

Stephens' eyebrows shot up. "Oh . . . I see."

Gordon continued to his office, already feeling slightly ill about the day's tasks to come. He was forced to condemn the man who saved his son's life. Speaking of his son, he would have to talk to him about what happened. He knew Jimmy wouldn't truly understand, but at least the child would always be grateful to their Dark Knight.

The lack of sleep was catching up to Gordon. He shouldn't have started the day with talking to Ramirez. It only sapped him of what little energy he had. Firing a good detective, having to destroy the symbol of Gotham's true protector . . . What else did the day have in store for him? But he was the commissioner, and he had a duty to serve his city. He couldn't let anything get to him.

After taking a swig of cool water, Gordon attacked the paperwork that had piled on his desk. He had a job to do, and he couldn't be distracted by his fears of corruption. He could trust one man, and that was better than nothing.


End file.
